Polscy olimpijczycy w niemieckich obozach jenieckich
Polish Olympians in German prisoner-of-war camps

Summary/Abstract: Polish athletes – as a national representation – had not made their debut inthe Olympic Games until 1924. In the Interwar period, they competed in fourwinter Olympics (Chamonix 1924, St. Moritz 1928, Lake Placid 1932, GarmischPartenkirchen 1936) and four summer ones (Paris 1924, Amsterdam 1928, LosAngeles 1932, Berlin 1936). Altogether, there were 327 Olympians who took partin the Games – 266 athletes representing Poland in the summer Olympics and 61in the winter ones. In 1939, some of them had commenced their preparations forthe successive Olympic Games planned for 1940. The outbreak of World War IIdisrupted all training camps and the athletes – including Olympians – were sent tofight in the front lines. There were 12 Polish Olympians of the Interwar years whowere killed directly in combat with the aggressor or died in other circumstances during the Polish September Campaign. Many found themselves taken captive andwere interned in German or Soviet POW camps, the most numerous groups ofPOWs being those at Oflag II C Woldenberg, then II D Gross Born, VII A Murnauand II B Arnswalde, from where they were transferred to other oflags. Despite thehardships of living in captivity, the Olympians initiated actions aimed at taking upphysical activity and sports rivalry by all POWs, appreciating the significance ofsport for maintaining physical and psychic health condition and prevention of the‘behind-the-wires’ disease. They also perceived the integrative and social advanta-ges of practising sports. To many POWs their engaging in sports activities becamea way of surviving six years in captivity.

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